Abstract
Introduction
Functional foods
Importance of food texture
Impact of prebiotics
Impact of probiotics
Final considerations
References
ABSTRACT
Functional food is the trend of the future, since our current science allows the manufacturing of processed products with health benefits beyond that of the original food, which meets the demand of the modern consumers. However, many functional ingredients may affect the products characteristics, including the texture, which is very important to the consumer’s acceptance. Probiotics (Lactobacillus spp., Bifidobacterium spp., etc) and prebiotics (inulin, fructooligosaccharides, Galactooligosaccharides, etc) are widely studied functional ingredients and may change the texture of the food, improving it or not. Studies are then focusing on developing functional products with improved textural characteristics associating the healthy feature with the sensory one, thus, adding great value for these products.
INTRODUCTION
The feeding habits play a fundamental role in human’s health. That is why so many people are concerned about their health and wellness, being the life quality a reflex of a healthy and balanced eating plus the practice of physical exercises. An alternative to a better eating is to aggregate ingredients with functional value to the daily menu. Recently, the advances in food technology allows the manufacturing of several different products, both in relation to the nutritional point of view and the sensory pleasantness. The modern consumers had been very conscious about what they are consuming, then, there is an actual demand for the manufacturing of functional products, which provide additional health benefits beyond that of the original product. However, there is another trend nowadays by consumers, which associate a product with several ingredients with unhealthy characteristics, mainly artificial additives or unknown ingredients [1]; therefore, they look for “clean label” products, with reduced number of ingredients. In this way, the food industry needs to reduce the addition of stabilizers and thickeners without compromising the food texture and taste.